WILD DUCKS FROM AN INCUBATOR

Transcription

1 WILD DUCKS FROM AN INCUBATOR By HERBERT K. JOB State Ornithologist of Connecticut. ILLUSTRATED WITH PHOTOGRAPHS BY THE AUTHOR. The Crucial Stage of the Manitoba Wild Duck Expedition Hatching, Rearing and Transporting the Ducklings OMEHOW it seemed as though the breezy, bracing atmosphere of the wild Manitoba prairie, while it sparkled with exhilaration, was tremulous also with interrogation. Everything that we were undertaking was new and without precedent. Questions and problems confronted us on every hand. Perhaps we might fail. It was considerable of a load of responsibility. One of the fundamental questions confronting us was whether eggs could be safely transported, or whether it would be necessary to try to hatch them and raise the young before starting back. In either case there were uncertainties, so I had decided to try both methods. During the first few days of the hunt we found quite a few ducks' nests with fresh, incomplete sets, six eggs or less. The normal full set is usually eight to eleven eggs, and occasionally there are even more. I have found as many as twentytwo! Picking up now a few of these incomplete sets, I sent them on by express. They were at once set, and before the trip was half over I knew the result. Not a single one developed an embryo. From previous investigation I knew it was hopeless to transport eggs in the earlier stages of incubation, as the jar was sure to break the delicate bloodvessels. I had learned, though, that the embryos within a few days of hatching could stand a good deal. Mr. C. William Beebe, of the New York Zoological Park, had brought incubated seabirds' eggs from Virginia to New York, without artificial heat, which had hatched normally on arrival. In case it should prove expedient, I had thought to attempt transporting some in lighted incubators on the cars, and had secured special permission from the express companies. An early incident of the expedition showed how much punishment incubated eggs would stand. On a driving trip, off exploring, we found a set of thirteen gadwalls' eggs on an island, thirty miles from camp. Wrapping them in a rubber-coated focus-cloth to retain the heat, and putting them in a creel, they were carried all the afternoon in a boat, then set under a hen at a ranch at night, and driven all the next day over rough prairie trails. The weather was hot all the time, and upon arrival the eggs were fully as warm as when taken from the nest. The assistant had carried the creel all day in his hands, to save the eggs from the jolting as much as possible. Two days and a half later every one of the thirteen hatched. Eleven of these ducklings, as I now write, grown to maturity, are happy and active in their new surroundings in our "effete" civilization of the East. Evidently the "rough riding" experience did them no harm. This was our first hatch, one hundred per cent, which came off on the second of July. Rejoiced at this auspicious beginning, next morning the assistant and I [319]

2 320 THE OUTING MAGAZINE started out in the canoe and collected the various sets of ducks' eggs previously found, most of them heavily incubated. The incubator was now considerably filled. How handsome the tray looked, as we took it out for cooling and sprinkling each day, how entrancingly interesting, with all those eggs of so many shades and sizes, freighted, too, with such possibilities! The uninitiated would say that they looked much alike, but years of experience reveal real differences in shade, size, and texture. The only kinds in that region that are indistinguishable are the eggs of gadwall and baldpate, both of which range from pure white to creamy, and those of the two teals, which are small and creamy white. Day by day other sets were added, and the wonder and interest grew. Right here we were, from necessity, violating one of the fundamental rules of incubator work, never to put in one machine eggs at different times and in different stages of incubation. It was clearly impossible to provide, out there in the wilderness, a separate machine for every set of eggs. Setting hens, moreover, could not be had. So we had to take chances on spoiling the eggs. Here were the incubator methods used. In the main room of the lodge, which was built of logs and plastered, we ran the incubators, which were kept at 103 degrees. Once a day we cooled the eggs, till the temperature felt neutral when the egg was laid against the eyelid. Then the tray was laid on the floor, and water, comfortably warm to the hand, was dashed over the eggs. They were then turned, the other side sprinkled, and then placed back in the machine. Two towels were then soaked in quite hot water and placed, almost dripping, on the tray below the eggs. In cool weather, when the temperature was slow in recovering, the regulator was shut down temporarily, to hasten matters. As soon as any set of eggs showed signs of hatching, it was removed to the second incubator, which was run at 104 degrees, which was maintained till the hatch was complete. The ducklings were kept in the machine from twentyfour to thirty-six hours after hatching. Owing to lack of brooder facilities, we sometimes used the third incubator for another day or two as a brooder, keeping the door ajar and the temperature from ninety to ninety-five. After our. first hatch no more occurred for nearly a week. Then business came with a rush, on July 8th, a memorable day. On the seventh three sets had begun to pip, one each of redhead, lesser scaup, and pintail. This morning, as I went forth to hunt ruddy ducks' nests, two little redheads were already out. At dinner time, when I returned successful, the hatch was actively in progress, the eggs popping almost like corn over a fire. It was so exciting and fascinating that we both let dinner wait and sat in front of the machine to watch. How they did come! First the shell was chipped nearly around. Pulsations more and more violent! Off bursts the larger end of the shell. A few more struggles, the head is out; then again, and the soaking little novice tumbles all over himself and everything else. Getting his balance, he takes a look around, and immediately goes to preening, as though his mother had previously whispered to him just what to do. The afternoon was still young when the hatch was complete. Of twentyfour eggs, only three had failed to hatch, one infertile, one with dead chick, and one rotten. One set, the scaups', hatched every egg. Our next hatch, a set of redhead, on the eleventh, yielded another one hundred per cent, as did next day a set of what we hoped were baldpate or American widgeon, but which proved to be gadwall. By this time it seemed so natural to hatch every egg of a set that we were surprised and even a bit regretful if even a single egg failed. As, for instance, on the twelfth also, when our small set of four ruddy's eggs came to term. All four were pipped, and three came out promptly. The other duckling was having a hard struggle and seemed to be stuck. After a time I decided to assist, but it was too late. The little fellow had died from exhaustion. So it ran on from time to time. The next four sets hatched consecutively one hundred per cent. The poorest hatch of all was a set of blue-winged teal, from which we got five good ducklings, three,

3 WILD DUCKS FROM AN INCUBATOR 321 nearly ready to hatch, being dead in the shell. This was probably due to my forgetting the eggs one day when they were out cooling. Yet even that result was not bad! On tabulating the records, I find that only three eggs were infertile, and very few embryos failed to hatch. In over half the sets every egg hatched, the average hatch for the season being ninety-two per cent, which is certainly remarkable, far surpassing the results in ordinary poultry work. This was despite the disadvantages of placing miscellaneous eggs in the same machine, transporting them for miles at critical stages of incubation, and subjecting them to the abrupt change of conditions. Probably it is the great vigor and virility of this wild stock, hardened to rigorous climatic conditions, that accounts for this astonishing percentage. To revert to stern realities, lack of brooders was one of our principal causes for anxiety. All we had at first was an indoor hover, with hot water heater. The large outdoor brooder we had ordered was delayed in transportation. The weather was cold and stormy, and, even in the kitchen, that hover would not heat up to over eighty degrees. We had to keep our first brood quite a while in the incubator. Finally, getting the hover enclosed in a box and building a fire in the stove to warm the room, we ventured to transfer the ducklings. During rare periods of sunshine we transferred the ducklings by hand outdoors to a wire run on the lee side of the cottage, partly sheltered from the raging prairie wind. As other broods hatched, we had our hands more than full and saved the ducklings only by unremitting toil. Finally, one day, the assistant discovered the long-desired brooder behind an unused cottage, where a drunken driver' had dumped it the night before. Everyone familiar with young wild ducks knows what shy skulkers they are, having a supposed inherent and unconquerable wildness. This notion may now be consigned to the scrap-heap. These ducklings, of various kinds, hatched artificially, away from the influence and teaching of the wild mother, have absolutely no fear of man. Instead of fleeing from us, they simply would THE DUCKLINGS DO NOT KNOW WHAT FEAR IS. NEVER HAVING BEEN TAUGHT BY WILD PARENTS

4 322 THE OUTING MAGAZINE SHORT-EARED OR MARSH OWL HOVER- ING OVER NEST YOUNG LONG-EARED OWLS AN ORPHAN Young Upland Plover A Victim of the Early Open Season. not get out of the way, and we had to be very careful, in the runways, not to step on them. Of all the hungry creatures I ever saw these took the prize. The instant I appeared, an hour or more after any meal, they would rush at me in a frantic mob, piping, struggling, jumping on one another. If I reached out my hand to remove an empty water fountain, they would almost eat me up! When the two heaping plates of food were placed on the ground to divide the mob, they simply hurled themselves at the dishes, each one gulping, gobbling, shovelling, for all it was worth. One species is specially named "shoveller," but, bless them, every one is a shoveller from the word go! After about two or three mouthfuls, each duckling hustles to get a drink and wash it down, sifting the water through its bill. A quart of water did not last any time. It was necessary to use drinking fountains to keep them from getting soaked, and even then they got all too wet. We improvised small fountains for the smaller ones with saucers and tin cans with holes cut in them. The crucial question now was whether the food would nourish the ducklings properly. The first week with that first brood was an anxious time. Every day I was afraid that they would begin to die off. In a few days one did die, and we held an anxious post mortem. The others, though, grew and flourished. As the next broods hatched, we could see that the first had made great gain in size. Another stage of the battle was won. In fact, for all except the ruddies and scoters the food proved wholly suitable. They all thrived on it, and there was not one single death by indigestion or disease the whole trip. The feeding system was as follows: The main staples were raw oatmeal and a special wild duck meal. For nursery food we began with three parts of oatmeal to one of duck meal, mixed with barely enough water to moisten, not sloppy. Into this was mixed also a moderate amount of coarse, sharp sand, not over ten per cent. This, I believe, is absolutely essential for proper digestion. Also we kept by them a dish of fine grit and charcoal, and plenty of fresh water. As they grew older we increased the proportion of duck meal, till, at over two weeks old, it was about half and half. Hard-boiled egg, finely ground up, shell and all, is also a most desirable food. Whenever eggs could be secured, we fed

5 WILD DUCKS FROM AN INCUBATOR 323 these once a day, mingled with sand and diluted with oatmeal. The ducklings were eager for this above everything else. It was very hard to secure eggs from the settlers. Another time I would have cheap eggs shipped out from civilization in case lots. From about five days old and on we fed a little crissel, a preparation of dried clean lean meat, but it must be used sparingly. From the age of two weeks I began to add a little chick-grain, and from a month old and on they had considerable of this. Green vegetable food is important. Having the ducklings out on the grass, we frequently changed the location of the yards, and they soon stripped the leaves off the weeds. As substitutes for lettuce and cabbage, we pulled up armfuls of cat-tails and rushes in the adjoining marsh, and chopped up the tender inside growth, down near the root, for which the ducklings were always eager. During the downy stage we fed them five times a day, as much as they would eat up clean in a short time, reducing the number of meals as they grew larger. Three times is enough when they are getting fledged and two thereafter. I did not dare to give them water to swim in, especially as the weather was cold nearly all the time. Under proper conditions, on warm days, however, they really need an occasional short bath, to prevent their plumage from getting stuck up. Sometimes I had to wash them off by hand, and occasionally dry them off in the incubator. Doubtless it seems strange that ducklings should be kept out of the water. In the wild state the mother probably keeps them oiled, and broods them frequently. In confinement, however, they soon become soaked and chilled, and are apt to die of cramp. We had little of this, because I did not give them the chance. One or two went that way, and others I saved by hustling them promptly into the incubator. Very hot sun is also dangerous, and shade should always be accessible. The brooder also must not be allowed to get hot. On warm days it should be opened, and the lamp in daytime should ordinarily be turned very low. Of our twelve species of ducklings, OUR PORTAGE A LUCKY FIND DUCKLINGS FEEDING. THEY ARE MOST VORACIOUS EATERS there were but two for which our methods were inadequate, the ruddy duck and the white-winged scoter. The young scoters are big ducklings, with black and white down, beautiful, gentle creatures. They walk around in an upright attitude, like little men, with a sort of wise

6 OUR LODGE, WITH BROODERS AND COOPS FOR DUCKLINGS OUTSIDE air. Docile, they ate quite freely, though they did not rush and shovel quite like the others. The food, however, did not nourish them, and they kept dying. Out in the wilds our resources were scant. Some of them survived the long journey. An expert from the New York Zoological Park came out to advise on the problem. Minnows were fed to them, and they were given a varied fish, meat, and insect diet, all in vain. At the Zoological Park, we were told, they had never been able to keep scoters alive. Here is a problem for further study. The ruddy duck is another problem. This duck, though little larger than a teal, lays eggs bigger than those of such large species as the mallard and canvasback. The young are most curious creatures. Similar in color to the young scoters, they are differently marked, and, rather strangely, have larger bills, of broad spoon-shape. They have a coarse, hair-like plumage, and are fat and squatty, about as broad as they are long. Their legs are set uncommonly far "aft," even for a diving duck, and the body is so heavy that they can hardly stand more than for a moment. The feet are enormously broad. Waddling a few steps, down they fall and lie there, blinking [324] helplessly, with a sort of foolish air. Seldom would they take even a mouthful of food or drink. The way they flop over the ground reminds one of turtles. I tried various plans to induce them to eat. About the only way was to put food in water, but they made bad work with it, and soon would become thoroughly soaked. The first attempt killed one with cramp, and I had to desist. If I forced food down their throats, they hawked it up. They steadily refused food, and died in less than a week. Opening one that was four days old, I was surprised to find a large unabsorbed yolk in the abdominal cavity. It is entirely different from any other duck, if, indeed, it deserves to be classed with the ducks. It presents a singular problem which, by the way, our guide did not consider worth solving. "What in the world docs he want to raise ruddies for?" said he to the assistant. "They're no good, even if he raised them. Why, if you go and pluck one, you pull off the meat with the feathers." Though I hope to pursue the problem further, as an interesting matter of science, it is probable that various marine species, such as scoters, mergansers, eid-

7 SETTLER'S DAUGHTER, BEARING GOOD NEWS ANNOUNCING FIND OF A GREEN- WINGED TEAL'S NEST ers, the old squaw, and the ruddy duck, will prove unadaptable to domestication, and would be of no practical or commercial value. The other ten species, however, that we investigated, are readily raised. These are, to repeat from the other article (THE OUTING MAGAZINE, November), pintail, shoveller, mallard, gadwall, baldpate, blue-winged and green-winged teals, redhead, canvasback, lesser scaup. The young canvasbacks and redheads, contrary to what might be expected, are docile creatures and do splendidly. The only duckling that showed any trace of natural wildness was the scaup, the blue-bill or broad-bill of our Atlantic coast gunners. Not that they are afraid, but they are nervous and restless, always running around and jumping, trying to get out. They seem rather harder to raise than the others, and we lost more in proportion. Nevertheless, we have a nice little bunch of them grown to maturity. In addition to the above species which are evidently capable of domestication, the dusky or black duck and the wood duck are known to come in this category. The chances are also, I believe, in favor of the American and Barrows' goldeneyes and the little bufflehead. The greater scaup would doubtless be like the lesser. Then there is the cinnamon teal, found farther west. So here are at least seventeen splendid native American wild ducks, all probably capable of artificial increase, as some are already known to be. These are problems well worthy the attention of lovers of wildfowl. I had imagined that most of the wild ducklings would be practically indistinguishable. As a matter of fact, however, many of them are absolutely unlike, and all can readily be told apart, even though some are very much alike. Canvasbacks and redheads are the "yellow birds" among the duck tribe, but have distinctly different bills. The pintail is a blackish and white striped bird. Gadwall and baldpate are identical, save that the former has light brownish feet, the latter dark slaty. The blue-winged and greenwinged teals are similar, save for a trifling difference in marking on the head, and the green-wing has a smaller, shorter bill. The scaup is a very dark bird, mostly blackish brown, with a slight crest. The shoveller is always distinguishable by its enormous bill. And so on. Owing to our late arrival, we found it desirable to try to complete our stock by catching some ducklings already hatched in the wild state. If anyone imagines this an easy task, a few at- [325]

8 326 THE OUTING MAGAZINE THE CANVASBACK FLOTILLA FEMALE RUDDY DUCK AND COOT OR MUD-HEN BLUE-WINGED TEAL, GADWALL, RED- HEAD, LESSER SCAUP AND SHOVELLER DUCKLINGS tempts will disabuse him of the notion. I shall never forget my own futile attempts to chase broods of canvasbacks and redheads. When I first saw them out on open waters of the larger bays, I thought surely I could catch some, as they were quite young. But, as I paddled up fairly near, they began to skitter rapidly over the surface, and then they plunged. Not a sign of them could I see again, for the surface was ruffled, and they only raised their bills to breathe, swimming long distances under water to the edge of the rushes, where they were absolutely safe. Finally, we were lucky enough to enlist some French-Indian half-breeds, who are wonderful paddlers and hunters. Whenever we saw their rig, in the evening, driving toward our camp, I always felt a thrill of excitement, knowing that something of great interest was near. Besides some small ducklings, they caught some magnificent specimens, fledged all but the flight feathers, of canvasback, pintail, shoveller, and mallard. It was exciting to hear them tell how they caught the canvasbacks. Two or three canoes would single one out from the rest and chase it. For nearly an hour it would dive and skulk. It took keen eyes to see where it stuck up its bill and expert paddling to keep up with it. They simply tired it out, and at last the poor duck, unable to dive any longer, came to the surface and meekly allowed the nearest boat to pick it up. We had little trouble in taming and rearing most of these captives. The canvasbacks at first would lie down flat on the ground and sulk, but they soon got over this. In a few hours all of them would be shyly eating and drinking, and within a week they would eat out of my hand. The only serious trouble or loss was due to fighting, on account of a lack of coops in which to segregate new arrivals. The larger ducks are terribly savage to others put in with them as strangers, chasing and hammering them, and we lost some nice birds thus. Those that could stand it for a day or two were then accepted on equal terms. We found that the prairie is no lumber-yard, when it comes to building operations. The proper way is to build a number of coops

9 WILD DUCKS FROM AN INCUBATOR 327 in advance, keep new arrivals separate till they get to eating well, and then mix the groups so that pretty much all feel strange. Though heat is not needed after the ducklings are over a month or so old, it is necessary to provide good shelter for cold windy nights and the heavy rains of the region. After learning a lesson by losing a fine canvasback, we brought into the kitchen each night all the ducks not fully fledged, not having material for coops, and not daring to take any more chances. We also found that a moderate percentage of wild ducklings captured at a very tender age were liable to die from shock, exhaustion, or abstinence. Most of them, though, would take right hold with the tame incubator birds. With these latter, it was encouraging to find that practically about the only losses were due to overcrowded conditions. In the large brooder hardly a bird died, save in the youngest brood of gadwalls. The others seemed to get the start of them and were always stepping on them and pushing them away from the food. They became more and more bedraggled and stunted, and in the end we lost them all. In the other brooder, with the smallest ducklings, the hover was crowded at night. It was too bad to have to make fat scoters and tiny teals sleep together, for some of the little ones were trampled or smothered. There was very little loss from any other cause. If I were doing the thing again, I should know exactly what equipment and facilities to provide and should expect the losses to be almost nil, certainly no more than on a well-regulated tame-duck farm. The. days passed rapidly, crowded with incident and adventure which there is not space here to recount. It was the last night in camp. At midnight, having completed necessary tasks, I went outside before retiring, and sat on the brooder in the moonlight, enjoying the wonderful scene, and listening to the weird sounds of bird voices from the great mysterious marsh. How I should miss the canoe and the charm of the strange labyrinth where bred the noble canvasback! Soon dawned the eventful day when PAIR OF RUDDY DUCKS. MALE IN REAR SNAPSHOT OF A PIED-BILLED GREBE COOP FOR DUCKLINGS ON PRAIRIE

10 THE AUTHOR ON A HUNT IN THE GREAT MARSHES 102 chicklings were to start on their long journey. In the incubator were a few eggs still unhatched. Three of them were the remnant of a set of greenwinged teal stepped on by cattle; the rest were of the late-laying scoter. I had calculated that these would not hatch till the end of the journey. Alas, some were pipped that last night, and on the morning of leaving a teal and a scoter were out, all the rest being in process of hatching. It was a real tragedy, but it was too late to alter our plans. So, reluctantly, I put the unlucky brood in a pail, with warm sand beneath, wrapped in a blanket. I misjudged the temperature. Every egg had a live duckling in it, but by the time we got aboard the train all had been overheated or smothered, save the two already hatched, which, strange to relate, made the trip safely to Connecticut. We could not, therefore, determine the point about transporting incubated eggs. I did, however, settle the question of the safety of carrying fresh wild ducks' eggs in the cars on a very long journey under the best conditions, with personal care. I had saved for this test a set of eggs laid close by our camp, taking each new egg as it was laid, to [328] make sure of its being fresh, substituting each time an egg from another set of the same kind in the incubator. I packed them with great care, in springy paper, took care of them on the journey, and turned them each day. Despite all this, not one of them started an embryo. It is clear that the only sure way is to hatch out the eggs before starting. I might devote the entire article to the experiences of that memorable 2,000- mile journey. Two large double wagon loads trailed southward over the prairie, that twenty-ninth of July, mercifully one of the few pleasant days. The ducklings were carried in two crates and two brooders, assorted according to size. Officials at every divisional point, through the courtesy of the Dominion Express Company, had received orders to give every facility, and I remember every one of them with gratitude. The bumping and jerking of the cars kept throwing the poor ducklings off their feet, but they were so tame they endured it philosophically, and devoted themselves to eating and drinking. The worst trouble was in keeping them dry, as the water slopped around, and they spilled it in drinking. I carried a bag of hay, from which I frequently changed the litter for them.

11 WILD DUCKS FROM AN INCUBATOR 329 At one point, Fort William, Ontario, I suddenly found that they were going to divide the train into two sections. I hustled my suitcase from the Pullman to the express car and saw no more of my berth or my son for the next twentyfour hours. I tremble to think of what would have happened to the ducklings had I been left behind! That night I slept on top of two boxes in the express car. It was hardly as comfortable as the lower berth, but more desirable for the purpose in hand. The nights were cool, and I had to keep a little heat in the brooders most of the way. All things come to an end, and on the afternoon of the fifth day of the trip, over four whole days from the start, I landed the ducklings on the preserve 102 of them, representing eleven species of wild ducks. Also there was a coot or mud-hen that harmonized beautifully with the ducks and makes a singular appearance among them, with its long legs and slender lobed toes. We had lost eighteen birds on the journey, and during the next few days some of the smallest ones dropped off from the effects of the journey. Ever since then, as at present, the rest have been in fine shape. It was most encouraging and instructive to find that of the losses due to the journey every one, with one solitary exception, were of birds not over twelve days old at the start, and down to three days. Every duck three weeks old or over at the start, except this one, a redhead, which may have been about three weeks old and perhaps was hurt, stood the ordeal safely. It simply means that young wild ducks over three weeks old can stand a long journey if they are properly fed and handled. A good rule would be to have them one month old to make sure. It is a rare delight now to have this unique and beautiful stock within easy access, to study their early plumages and changes, as yet not all described in books, to note their interesting ways, and to work out details of handling, feeding, and breeding, under the auspices of a Government Experiment Station, where scientific work is understood and appreciated. If only experiments could thus have been made with the lamented passenger pigeon, we should doubtless have had them alive to-day. We may well hope that from such beginnings these splendid wildfowl species may be so widely multiplied that extermination will be impossible, and, better still, that, through public interest engendered in their welfare, they may again become familiar sights upon the waters of our entire country. EDITORIAL NOTE. The generous financial backers of the State and Government expedition have consented, upon solicitation, to allow their names to be made public. They are Messrs. F. C. Walcott and S. W. Childs, of New York City. Furthermore, we would state that the laws of the Province of Manitoba allow such permits only to properly accredited representatives of " other States or Governments," under which head this expedition comes.